From Suicide Survivor to Creative Entrepreneur | Andrew Jang
What happens when everything you've worked for disappears?
In this deeply vulnerable episode of The Holly Hughes Podcast, Holly sits down with entrepreneur, designer, speaker, and mental health advocate Andrew Jang for an unforgettable conversation about resilience, identity, creativity, and rebuilding your life after unimaginable loss.
Andrew shares the extraordinary journey that took him from being one of Seattle's most connected entrepreneurs and a sought after custom menswear designer working with NBA athletes, to homelessness, public humiliation, depression, and surviving multiple suicide attempts.
Together, Holly and Andrew explore what happens when your identity is built around achievement, why external validation can become a dangerous addiction, and how creativity became the path that helped Andrew rediscover himself.
They also discuss adoption, belonging, grief, social media, vulnerability, mental health, reinvention, toxic success culture, and why your greatest setbacks often become the foundation for your greatest purpose.
Whether you're navigating burnout, rebuilding after failure, questioning your purpose, or simply trying to find hope again, this conversation offers an honest reminder that your story is never over.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
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Why losing everything can become the beginning of personal transformation
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How external validation quietly fuels anxiety and burnout
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The connection between creativity, healing, and emotional resilience
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What surviving depression taught Andrew about purpose
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Why vulnerability creates stronger human connection
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How adoption shaped Andrew's identity and search for belonging
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The hidden cost of chasing success without inner peace
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Why rebuilding your life starts by becoming honest with yourself
If you enjoy conversations about creativity, storytelling, personal growth, podcasting, and authentic living, be sure to subscribe for more episodes of The Holly Hughes Podcast.
We talk about:
00:00 Meet Andrew Jang and his unconventional creative journey
03:00 Learning to sew, discovering fashion, and finding confidence through creativity
07:00 Building a thriving career, working with NBA athletes, and achieving success
09:00 The lawsuit that changed everything and losing the life he built
11:45 Homelessness, depression, and surviving public humiliation
18:55 Living with suicidal thoughts, mental health, and learning to speak openly
23:15 Why today's culture makes genuine human connection harder than ever
24:10 Reinvention, purpose, and building a meaningful future
26:30 The power of vulnerability and telling your story online
28:10 Adoption, identity, belonging, and finding yourself
34:00 Why creativity requires courage, discomfort, and authenticity
39:00 Relationships, trust, healing, and learning to love again
42:35 Andrew's final thoughts on resilience, hope, and creating a life worth living
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, private support. It's available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anyone who is depressed, going through a hard time, needs to talk or is thinking about hurting themself can get help. The Lifeline is available to everyone—you can call for yourself or a loved one who may need crisis support.
Connect with a counselor who will listen, offer support and provide resources nearby:
Call 988 or (800) 273-8255
Text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained Crisis Counselor through Crisis Text Line, a global not-for-profit organization. Free, 24/7, confidential.
Connect with Andrew
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Website: https://www.andrewjang.com/
Connect with Holly
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holly_hughes_intuitive/
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Get Holly’s book here: https://hollyhughesintuitive.com/my-book/
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Website: https://hollyhughesintuitive.com/